


The stars still shine

by Wystie_booties



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, AsaNoya - Freeform, Comedy, Fluff, Gay, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, Romance, a lil bit of misunderstanding between them because they're idiots, but it's ok i love them, i'm actually really proud lol, im sobbin on how gay i made it, mermaid au, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 17:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13885500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wystie_booties/pseuds/Wystie_booties
Summary: Azumane has been friends with Nishinoya for about a year now! Little does Nishinoya know, Azumane is deeply infatuated with Nishinoya and has been since they first met! Sugawara advised Azumane to shine his tail with snail slime as that would reel in any fish person. Could such a thing really help? Does Nishinoya end up falling in love with Azumane? Tune in to find out!





	The stars still shine

**Author's Note:**

> Happy readings!

 Afternoon sunlight cascaded through the cave glimmering on Azumane’s tail as he slathered slime to give off a glossy sheen. The surrounding area was tinted with a warm maroon glow as he hummed sweetly. Once finished, he tripled checked if he had applied snail slime in every crevice and nook of his tail. The effects of which made his flowy maroon tail appear more lavish than it already was. Still, it couldn’t deter the heavy anxieties that didn’t seem to flee. A thickening lump formed in his throat as he thought harshly if such a beauty routine could win the heart of his crush. His trusty friend, Sugawara had absolutely demanded him to acquire such an expensive product though, so he placed his faith on Sugawara’s judgement.

 Sighing, he hesitantly placed back the slime and viewed himself on a reflective shell. Should he braid his hair tonight? Would that be too showy? He had already shined himself, his crush might think poorly if he did his hair too. Quickly, he pulled back his flowing hair into a low ponytail. As the water around him cooled, Azumane figured it was about time to leave for his venture.

 Upon nearing his destination, Azumane had second thoughts. Was the slime really necessary? Maybe he should wipe it off. Oh no, what if his hair wasn’t right either? How had he even ended up in such a predicament in the first place?

 Memories filled his mind as one day, Sugawara, Sawamura, and him were collecting kelp when suddenly he was propelled onto the sand by another person. That person meant no harm of course and apologized profusely towards Azumane. Azumane was touched by how genuinely sincere the person was.

 The person had really nice dark eyes that Azumane was mesmerized by, dark fins, and a dark tail to match. Yet, their personality seemed to be the exact opposite of such moody colours. They were loud, bright, and wonderful. Azumane was absolutely enamoured. They stayed in touch, becoming rather friendly towards each other as time wore on. Often, they met when the sun had long gone to rest, but his crush never minded; they always stayed up to play games together or simply to chat.

 Now, here Azumane was, absolutely smitten for the other person. The other person was none other than Nishinoya of course! Azumane just had to go fall in love with him at first sight when they had become perfectly comfortable hanging out as friends. Yet even with the odds against him, this time Azumane was definitely going to be assertive! He was going to win the heart of Nishinoya! He was going to finally ask him on a proper date! Such thoughts fueled his ambitions until his anxieties started prickling back. Leading him to on second thought, yeah, he should definitely take off the snail slime.

 Facing back and panicking, he started making the trek back to his own home, but suddenly felt something caught his wrist. Immediately, Azumane turned around to figure out what it was. Maybe it was a stupid litter bag again? Humans’ unwanted objects were always caught onto the likes of him or his friends. Fortunately, or unfortunately, a pair of dark eyes met his gaze and Azumane simultaneously melted and froze up. The eyes squinted as they brilliantly smiled. Something inside of Azumane’s chest felt like it was melting into a small puddle then doing a quadruple back flip.

 “Azumane! What are you doing being all wishy washy?” They signed.  
 “Nishinoya?! Sorry… I think I forgot something…” Azumane signed back.  
Squinting intensely, Nishinoya pursed his lips and guided him to the entrance of his place, signing, “You are already here! No need to go back.”   
 “Still… It is important…”   
 Nishinoya pouted, “please! You promised we would be together longer today.”   
Absolutely defenseless against Nishinoya’s ridiculously adorable pouty face, Azumane gave in, “Okay, let’s go in.”

 From the response, Nishinoya immediately brightened up to his usual manner as he dragged Azumane further into his abode. Once stopping, Nishinoya went off rummaging to an area of the room that would make any hoarder pale in horror. Brimming with trinkets and gadgets, the room Azumane was led into was filled with Nishinoya’s prized findings. There were many items that humans seem to lose. Whatever it was, Nishinoya tended to collect them all. He was fascinated with them.

 Inspecting a colourful cube with moveable ridges, Nishinoya caught Azumane’s attention, holding a small rectangular object then setting it onto the ground.  
 “I want to show you something! I found it scavenging one day!”  
 “What is that?”   
 “This can hold more things! I showed you this before! It is like a bag except it is not as portable, it organizes neatly unlike clam shells! But that is not the point, I want to show you what’s inside!”

 Eagerly, Nishinoya unclamped the mechanism that held it shut. Inside was a tiny statue and two yellow, hollowed out circles.   
 “First, I found this little statue since the last time we met! Its head even moves a little!”  
 “Cool!”  
 “Right?! Now we have more things to play with!”  
Azumane clapped in excitement, then pointed to the other two objects, signing, “What is that?”

 Nishinoya’s eyes glittered as his tail thrashed in excitement, “I found one of those a few days ago! It matches with that other one I found years ago! My grandpa says it is a ring, it is what humans use to say that they care about each other very much!”  
 “That is interesting! How do they wear it?”   
 “They do not have webbed hands like we do, they can put it on their hands! Wait, let me show you something cool about them!”

 Gingerly picking the ring up, Azumane studied it carefully as Nishinoya went to fetch something else. Suddenly, there was a bright light. Azumane faced Nishinoya who was holding up one of his cylindrical gadgets that spilt light. The now golden ring glistened enchantingly as Azumane twirled it around. Nishinoya drew in closer as well, clearly fascinated by the beautiful ring.  
 “Is it not amazing?! The other one that is older looks just as new too! They don’t fall apart or stop working like a lot of things I find!” He picked up the light that he had dropped then flashed light on the older one that glistened just as bewitchingly. Dropping the light again, he turned to face Azumane, grinning adorably, “Azumane, I want you to have it!”  
Blood rushed to inflate his gills and fins as Azumane’s face was tinged scarlet. He couldn’t believe Nishinoya was willing to give away such a beautiful gift to him. “This is something important! I don’t think I should have it. You should give it to Tanaka!”

 His blood boiled from embarrassment and slight jealousy, but who was he to have such a beautiful item with such a wonderful meaning? He was only a friend to Nishinoya, heck, maybe not even the most important one. Nishinoya had plenty of them as he was talkative and sincere. The ring should go to someone that Nishinoya truly cherished even if that wasn’t Azumane. A stabbing throb worsened in his chest, but he ignored it.  

 “You go put that back. I am going to make dinner.” Swiftly, Azumane swam away, heading towards the cooking area. Hopefully he could distract himself from acting like a complete and utter fool in front of Nishinoya. His heart hurt more than anything, why on earth did he say all that? Wasn’t the point of their hangout this time to woo Nishinoya on finally going on a date with him? Maybe he was taking a step in the right direction if Nishinoya had offered such a beautiful ring to him? Oh no, what if he had ruined the only chance of ever getting together with Nishinoya? Sure, Nishinoya must have offered that ring to him on friendly terms, but Azumane could’ve led the conversation into something more! Groaning in dismay, he harshly struck himself on the forehead, he was an idiot.

 Thoughts intruded his mind as he attempted to create dinner, slowly they vanished as he got into the rhythm of cooking. Carefully cutting the pre-cooked fish, Azumane deboned it then attentively placed the meat onto the kelp. Whilst wrapping the kelp serenely, Nishinoya managed to sneak up behind him and placed a necklace with the gold ring around his neck. He then hugged him tightly. Ignoring the absolute need to want to melt into an overheated puddle, he continued focusing on dinner as his heart began to race. Lately since they’ve started to hang out, Nishinoya had become rather touchy-feely. Not that Azumane minded, often relishing in the contact. Still, after their earlier conversation and with how poorly Azumane handled it, he could feel his gills starting to inflate. Normally, he could and would ignore the actions. Yet, Nishinoya most definitely did something to his neck, and it was most definitely, undeniably, a kiss.

 Fidgeting violently, he then quickly froze up, clueless on what to do as he was in a tight embrace. Flushing immediately, his gills and fins were fully inflated as Azumane could even feel the nape of his neck heat up. Noticing such a reaction, Nishinoya nudged at him curiously. Desperately, Azumane tried to normalize his breathing before he turned around to face Nishinoya as a red blob.  
 “Are you okay?”  
 “Yeah… Just a little overwhelmed.”   
 “Sorry! I should not have kissed you,” Azumane wildly gesticulated embarrassingly, did Nishinoya just willingly confirm on kissing him on the neck?! “I thought with how long we have been together. I thought you would be okay with it…”   
 “Wait… What do you mean?”  
 “You know, we have been together for so long! And you were okay with my hugs and cuddles, I thought you were okay with the next step!”   
 “You… Make it sound like we’re dating!”   
Nishinoya stared blankly at Azumane for the longest time before he took a deep breath and finally signed, “We are.”  
Azumane felt like the largest dumbass alive. “Since when?!”   
 “Since we met…? Maybe after the first few get togethers, but after that I thought we were definitely together. I thought this was our year anniversary and you were just taking it super slow.”   
  “Oh no... I am the biggest idiot alive… I thought you thought of me as a friend all this time and that I was dealing with a stupid one-sided crush.”   
A snicker escaped albeit muffled by the water, try as he may, Nishinoya couldn’t help but doubled down as he laughed harshly. His tail violently thrashed about creating bubbles. Finally, when he caught about his wits, he signed, “All this time, you thought we were just friends?” Azumane nodded guilty. A second round of laughter escaped from Nishinoya as he once again turbulently thrashed about. In the middle of his fit, he pointed upwards signaling that they should move the conversation above water. Gently, Azumane held Nishinoya’s hand as he guided him to where the water broke; where Nishinoya could breathe directly without needing to use his gills. Between coughs and fits of laughter, Nishinoya eventually calmed down enough to usher out words, “I-I can’t believe you never figured it out, pfft-.”   
 “I’m so sorry.”   
 “Y-you’re the biggest dumbass I’ve ever met.”  
 “My incompetence is on a whole new level. I’m so sorry!”  
 “It’s okay Azumane, no harm done.”   
 “You’re not mad?!”  
 “More than feeling mad, I just feel bad for you. You thought all this time I was just being friendly with you!”  
 “I’m sorry.”   
 “It’s fine Azumane! What’s done is done.”  
 “I still feel really bad.”  
 “What can I do so you don’t feel bad?”  
 “I don’t think you could. This is a problem on my part.”  
Nishinoya pursed his lips, gently grabbing Azumane’s hand and placing it near his chest, “We are dating, whether you realize it or not. Your problems are my problems! You can depend on me!”  
 “A-are you sure?! I’m the worst though! I just figured out that we’re dating! Are you sure you want to be with the likes of me?!”  
A nerve was struck on Nishinoya’s part, Azumane noticed, cowardly not looking Nishinoya in the eye.  
 “Azumane. Show me your face.” He responded, turning his face in front of Nishinoya, his eyes drifted elsewhere. “Look at me.” Swiftly, he shook his head. He was too scared to look at Nishinoya, to see the disappointment in his eyes. Scared for him to realize how flawed he really was.   
   
 “Please.” It was weak and begging, a sound completely opposite of how Nishinoya was. Finally, Azumane summoned the courage to look Nishinoya directly in the eyes, a lump was thickening in his throat as he expected the worse. Yet, Nishinoya only smiled sweetly. In one fell swoop, it calmed Azumane’s anxieties. Staring into Nishinoya’s eyes, Azumane was completely and utterly mesmerized, allowing him to remember back to when they had just first met. All wide-eyed and awestruck. The water was still, completely disturbed only by the rapid heart beating of his, as the two of them were surrounded only by the reflections of stars. Gently, Nishinoya caressed Azumane’s cheek as he said, “you may be the biggest dumbass I’ve ever met, but I love you all the same,” closing in then to steal a kiss.

 The remark filled Azumane’s head deliriously as his breath stopped short of working. Slowly, slowly, he was melting into the kiss, his heart was going to burst as he drew Nishinoya closer. Nishinoya was warm, Nishinoya was soft, Azumane could tell Nishinoya was blushing just a little from being so forward, Azumane wanted more.

 Biting Nishinoya’s lower lip playfully, lightly he trailed over it with his tongue. Startled, Nishinoya squeaked and Azumane immediately let go. “Ah! I’m so sorry before I knew it, s-something came over m-me and I-.” Clasping his mouth, Nishinoya was a bright scarlet. In a bad way, Azumane wanted to see more of that type of face, where it could lead to, but quickly he silenced those types of thoughts.  
 “I’m truly really sorry! It was my bad, I shouldn’t hav-.”   
 “You didn’t do anything bad...”  
 “Eh-?”  
 “I liked it… It surprised me because it came out of nowhere, but I liked it! You didn’t do anything wrong!”  
 “But-.”   
 “Hush! It’s fine! If I didn’t like it then I would tell you so it’s okay, Azumane!”

 Clueless on how to respond, Azumane only nodded, mumbling a small ok. They floated in what felt like awkward silence. Eerily, Nishinoya was being unbelievably calm.  
 “A-are you okay?  
More silence, until Nishinoya weakly muttered, “it won’t slow down…”  
 “Slow what down…?”  
 Regaining his flush, Nishinoya’s fins noticeably inflated, before he muttered yet again, “my… Heart…”  
 “Oh… Me too…”  
 “Liar.”   
 “Huh?!”   
 “Mine’s beating faster.”  
In this moment, Azumane couldn’t help, but think Nishinoya was incredibly cute, yet again, when was he never not perfectly adorable? He rubbed the back of his neck, how was he supposed to continue the conversation now?   
 “I love you.”   
Azumane stopped working, well he certainly wasn’t expecting that. “M-me too.”   
 “Huh? Say it properly at least! I’m putting my heart out on the line and you’re giving me a lukewarm reception!”  
 “I-I love you too!”   
 “Not bad! You can do it when you try too!”   
 “Nishinoya-.”  
 “I love you.”   
 “I-I love you too.”   
 “I love you more.”   
 “I love you most.”   
 “I love you more than most.”   
 “That’s cheating.”   
 “No, it isn’t.”   
 “Yes, it is.”  
 “How is it cheating if I do love you a lot?”   
 “Because I love you more than you could possibly know!”   
 “Hmm, really? I love you bigger than the sea and higher than the sky!”  
 “I love you so much that I miss you every second you’re not around.”   
 “I love you so much I was willing to sacrifice sleep for you so that I can be with you just a little while longer.”    
 “I love you so much I was convinced to buy snail slime and lathered it on me so you would notice me more!”   
 “You what-?” Nishinoya hid a snicker.   
 “I did.”   
 “You’re a dumbass.”   
 “I know.”   
 “I still love you.”

 “No matter what?”   
 “You’re the longest anyone has ever stayed with me even if you didn’t realize.”   
 “W-what if it’s all a mistake…?”  
 “I still love you. I love you now and I’ll love you tomorrow. That’s all that matters.”   
 “W-what if it still matters to me…?”  
 “Hm, Azumane, look,” Nishinoya pointed up to the sky, “what do you see?”  
 “Stars.”   
 “Good answer!”   
 “What is this for?”   
 “They’re pretty, aren’t they?”   
 “Well, yeah.”  
 “My grandpa told me that a lot of those stars are dead. Yet, they still shine brightly, don’t they?”   
 “Yes…?”  
 “Even if it’s burned out, it’s still going, until there’s no more. Even if we do break up one day Azumane, we still love each other here and now. We’ll still love each other tomorrow. Just like the stars will still shine tomorrow.”

 There was silence again, except this time comfortable. Slyly, Nishinoya sneaked his hand into Azumane’s to hold as they gazed up at the stars. Eventually, Nishinoya broke the silence again.  
 “Hey… Now that we’re finally official. Can we bestow each other names?”  
Startled, Azumane jumped, turning to face Nishinoya, “Names?! Are you sure? Names are super important though! Are you sure you want to be given one by me?!”   
 “Surer than anything in my life.” Nishinoya beamed.   
There were a lot of things that Azumane could do. He could deal with a one-sided crush that wasn’t actually one-sided for a year, he could slather snail slime on his tail, and he could make a killer seaweed wrap. Saying no to Nishinoya’s adorable smiling face was not one of them. Apprehensively, he finally replied, “okay… Let’s do it.”   
 “Yay! I already have one for you actually! I’ve been thinking about it for a long time!”   
 “What is it?”   
 “Asahi. I want to bestow you the name, Asahi!”   
 “Asahi… It has a nice ring to it! I like it.”  
 “Thank goodness. I wouldn’t know what to do if you didn’t! Pick a name for me now!”  
 “Eh- I-I’m not sure…”   
 “Take your time.”

 Humming hesitantly, he couldn’t quite think up of a name on the spot, especially one that he would call Nishinoya for the rest of his days. “This is hard. C-can I ask why you chose Asahi? Maybe it’ll help me decide.”  
 “Right-o! Let’s see… Well when I really think about it… I don’t really know? I saw it off of a bottle that I found one day and thought it had a nice ring to it.”  
 “You got my name from a bottle?!”  
 “Don’t get the wrong idea! I had other reasons too! My favourite time of the day is the morning and I love the sun! It makes me feel warm and nice. And you’re my favourite person! Whenever I hug you, you make me feel warm and safe. Therefore, Asahi!”   
 “You sound like you have no idea what you’re saying.”   
 “Okay, I was mainly inspired from a bottle, but what’s wrong with that?! It’s nice and I like it!”   
Azumane chortled, “It’s fine, I got it, I got it. If it’s special to you, then it’s special to me.” Annoyed, Nishinoya huffed.

 Despite poking fun at Nishinoya’s source of getting a name, it’s not like Azumane had one to begin with. Sighing, he looked up to the sky, hoping that the stars might spell out answers to him. Something at the very least. Yet, his mind stayed blank. Then something slipped in, quickly slipping out to his mouth forming into words.   
 “Yu… Is that nice? Oh- sorry! I didn’t mean to suddenly say that!”  
 “Why not? It’s a nice name! What made you think of that?”   
Azumane turned back to look at Nishinoya, his eyes reflected the night sky. Another thought struck him again, he was desperately in love with a man who desperately loved him back. The thought of which made his insides tingle with excitement and happiness. Raising his hand to caress Nishinoya’s cheek, he gently smiled, “Your name will be a reminder. Every time that I doubt our love, I’ll look to see if the stars still exist above. Then surely, we do too.”

 There wasn’t a single word spoken and there wasn’t a need. They knew.

**Author's Note:**

> Just some notes to help explain the setting if there has been any confusion. Merpeople communicate through sign language as their voices haven't adapted to travel through water, above water though they generally talk with their voices since often you hear lore of mermaids singing. Merpeople are capable of breathing through their gills although they still have their lungs and when for example are doing actions that need larger sums of air that their gills cannot provide as swiftly, they have to directly take oxygen from above water. Generally the young, elderly, or sick have to appear above water more often to breathe. That should be it? If you have any other questions of this setting go ahead, and ask! 
> 
> As always please a comment or kudos! I'd gladly appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading! HAPPY LATE ASANOYA DAY!!!!
> 
> in other news i cant believe i fucking finished, my hands are dead. Also you might see that I wrote the chracters a little more OOC than usual but idfc im tired. It's set in a mermaid au, give me a break


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